Teen employee dies at N.B. Wal-Mart

Police are investigating the death of a 17-year-old employee at a Wal-Mart store in the northwestern New Brunswick community of Grand Falls on Wednesday night.

Grand Falls police Chief Real Michaud said Patrick Desjardins was discovered injured in the store's garage at around 8:30 p.m. AT by another employee.

The teenager was cleaning the floor in the garage when it appears there was an electrical defect in the cord to the buffing machine he was using, according to police.

He was rushed to Grand Falls General Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Grand Falls police are investigating the death along with the province's Labour Department.

Alex Robertson, Wal-Mart's director of corporate affairs in Quebec, confirmed in a short statement that a sales associate died at the Grand Falls store on Wednesday.

"We are working with the relevant authorities to determine the circumstances relating to this incident. Our thoughts are with the family of the associate at this time," Robertson's statement said.

The flags at the Wal-Mart were lowered on Thursday afternoon to mark the sudden death.

Electrical equipment to be examined

Two investigators from WorkSafeNB were at the Wal-Mart on Wednesday.

Lise Malenfant, the WorkSafeNB manager in northwestern New Brunswick, said the cause of death appears to be electrocution.

"Should an electrocution be confirmed, we are going to be looking at the piece of equipment the young worker was working with at the time," she said.

"We're going to be looking at the entire system right from the panel, the wires, any extension cords that may have been involved, the piece of equipment itself to see if there was anything not up to code or up to standard."

Malenfant said because of the age of the worker involved, WorkSafeNB will look into what kinds of worker orientation programs were available at the store.

Counsellors were available to help students and staff at John Caldwell School on Thursday. Patricia McCarthy-Sorenson, the school's principal, said Desjardins's friends were remembering him as a caring young man. The Grade 12 studentwas due to graduate this year.

"He was an outdoors person that's what they really wanted people to know. He loved the woods, he loved camping and fishing with his dad and friends," she said.